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37 lines
1.2 KiB
37 lines
1.2 KiB
.. hazmat::
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Asymmetric algorithms
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=====================
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Asymmetric cryptography is a branch of cryptography where a secret key can be
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divided into two parts, a :term:`public key` and a :term:`private key`. The
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public key can be given to anyone, trusted or not, while the private key must
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be kept secret (just like the key in symmetric cryptography).
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Asymmetric cryptography has two primary use cases: authentication and
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confidentiality. Using asymmetric cryptography, messages can be signed with a
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private key, and then anyone with the public key is able to verify that the
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message was created by someone possessing the corresponding private key. This
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can be combined with a `proof of identity`_ system to know what entity (person
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or group) actually owns that private key, providing authentication.
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Encryption with asymmetric cryptography works in a slightly different way from
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symmetric encryption. Someone with the public key is able to encrypt a message,
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providing confidentiality, and then only the person in possession of the
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private key is able to decrypt it.
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.. toctree::
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:maxdepth: 1
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x25519
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x448
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ec
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rsa
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dh
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dsa
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serialization
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utils
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.. _`proof of identity`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_infrastructure
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